Those shoes, and a selection of others, will soon make their way into PEM’s permanent collection. At more than 4,000 pairs, PEM’s shoe collection is one of the largest and most important in the United States. The collection includes everything from a pair of early running shoes to 20th century jeweled heels. We have a group of shoes that were displayed at the first World’s Fairs in the U.S. and demonstrated the exceptional designs, materials and construction techniques used by companies working in Lynn and Haverhill, Massachusetts and other U.S. manufacturers at the time.

On a dreary May day, Thom and his 14-person creative team brought the Astral Collection to life. With PEM’s iconic Gardner-Pingree house and Plummer Hall as the settings, three models transformed 15 pairs of shoes into the story of a powerful and commanding woman. Zipping from one space to the next to avoid interrupting regularly scheduled programming, a team captured the images and video to tell the tale of the Astral woman.

As PEM’s Manager of Historic Structures and Landscapes, Steven Mallory welcomes this new way of highlighting the museum’s campus. “Today, as PEM re-vamps and expands our use of our premier historic buildings, we are embarking on an adventure to present them in new and even provocative ways. Like the architect-artist-client relationship that began two centuries ago, we are excited to coordinate with living artists and designers to explore the relationship between historic and modern design. Look forward in future episodes as we seek to see old things in new ways.”